17-year-old killed, body set on fire in revenge attack after late-night drinking session in Delhi; 1 held, another on run

NEW DELHI: A 17-year-old boy was allegedly murdered and his body set on fire near Majlis Park metro station in north-west Delhi in what police claim was a revenge attack.

Police received a call at around 8.30am on Feb 12 about a fire in a patch of jungle near the metro parking area. A team of cops reached the spot and found a charred body lying close to the wall of the parking slot. The body was shifted to a hospital in Jahangirpuri, and efforts to identify the deceased were initiated through ZIP Net alerts, wireless messages and public notices.



The family later confirmed at the mortuary that the body was that of their missing son.

In a statement to police on Feb 16, the boy's sister said he had studied up to Class X and had recently been released on bail from a juvenile home in connection with a murder case registered in Aug last year. She added that he had seemed troubled in the days before he went missing and had told her that a man from Azadpur and his associates were threatening to kill him.

According to the family, the boy left home on Feb 11 and did not return. His phone was found switched off. While looking for him, they spotted a photograph of an unidentified body displayed at Ashok Vihar police station that matched him.

Subsequently, police registered a murder case and launched a probe. On Feb 17, officers arrested a 25-year-old man following a tip-off and seized the scooter allegedly used in the crime. During questioning, he purportedly told police that he and an associate had planned the killing to avenge the murder of a neighbour.

"The teenager was assaulted with a stone during a late-night drinking session on Feb 11 and then set on fire. Neither of the accused has any previous criminal record," a senior police officer said. The second suspect is absconding, and efforts are on to trace him.